Chevron scrambles to batten down oil fields amid threat of Kern River flooding

Preparing for the threat of massive flooding during California's "Big Melt," federal engineers have been releasing more Kern River water from Lake Isabella than is flowing into the reservoir from the snowbound peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada.The action is needed, officials say, to prevent water from spilling over the reservoir dam and sending floodwaters rolling into low-lying areas that include the city of Bakersfield, farm towns, Highway 99, and portions of Kern County's famed oil patch - an intrusion that would risk significant ecological harm.

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